The Devil's Dance
by TarrynReid
Summary: Remus Lupin has a lot of secrets. He has so many secrets that even his best friend James Potter doesn't know all of them. That's why it's such a shock when he meets Sirius Black, the man who may have more to hide than he ever will. AU *IMPORTANT* In this story, the war with Voldemort went on while they were in school and has already ended. Also, Sirius did not go to Hogwarts!
1. Chapter 1

The music in the club was loud and obnoxious. Smoke filled the stale air, lending it an unpleasant taste. Lights were dim and darkness pressed against the corners of the room. A pair of men made their way to the bar along the left side of the room.

Both were young, only about eighteen, and tall. The taller of the two had manic black hair that stuck up in a clumped mass along the back of his head and hazel eyes hidden beneath thick black glasses. The other man had honey brown hair that just fell to his warm brown eyes. His face had a pale, faded scar running across his nose and more scars peeked out from the ends of his sleeves.

Reaching the bar, the brunette smiled at the bartender before calling out a greeting, "Hello Frank."

"Remus!" The bartender, Frank, had short dark brown hair and a long slender nose. "And James. I didn't think you would actually come."

James leaned against the counter and grinned. "Said we would, didn't we?"

"So what can I get you? On the house."

As Frank prepared their drinks, Remus sat on a stool and looked around. The club wasn't very busy, although it was hard to tell in the unrelenting darkness.

Surprisingly James was the one who suggested visiting Frank at his new job. They had just finished school and enjoying their newfound freedom when James came up with the idea. It wasn't that James didn't like Frank, they've been friends for years. It was just that this specific club wasn't exactly James' type. Remus loved James, but he didn't actually believe that his tolerance was strong enough for him to spend time somewhere where practically naked men gyrated for money. Still, it was James' idea so they went and Remus tried his very best not to look too pleased.

"I still can't believe you two came," Frank began to polish some glasses as he continued to shake his head at them. "I would have figured you'd stay away in case people thought you were bent or something."

James just grinned as he took a drink. "Mate, we're just visiting a friend. You're the pouf working at a poofter club."

Remus grimaced and put his glass down. "We really need to work on expanding your vocabulary."

Ignoring Remus, James narrowed his eyes at Frank's silence. "I'm a little disturbed you haven't defended yourself Frank."

Frank looked up in exasperation, "Do I need to? I'm literally getting married, to a woman, in a few months."

James rolled his eyes and took a quick glance around. "You're not very busy are you?"

Remus bit back a sigh. James may have come here of his own free will, but he certainly wasn't being all that happy about it. Anyways, it was a Tuesday night. What was James expecting?

Frank said nearly the same thing but tacked on, "Although Star usually brings in a good amount, even on weeknights."

Remus looked to where he was pointing to see a small group of men crowded around one of the dancers. He hadn't noticed them before because they were towards the darkened back of the room. The dancer entertaining them, Star, was up on a small stage in only a pair of tiny black underwear. They almost looked like bikini bottoms and left nothing to the imagination. From where Remus sat he couldn't make out much detail about Star's appearance, just that he was slender with long dark hair.

As Remus watched, the dancer slowly lowered his bottoms until the base of his cock was showing before quickly pulling up them up again. Tease, Remus, thought.

"I wouldn't keep watching unless you want to get an eyeful, Remus." Franks was smiling as he began to wipe down the bar.

"He doesn't actually get naked does he?" James looked shocked, but Frank just laughed.

"Of course he does, Potter."

"Well, that's a bit seedy, isn't it?" James paused and when it seemed that no one was going to respond to him, put his head in his hands and asked,"Frank. Please tell me you get off soon."

"Well, seeing has he's just gotten naked, it can't be too long before I get off." Remus burst out laughing as Frank winked and James turned an ugly, shade of red. "Calm down. I'm off in fifteen. Think your heterosexuality can last until then?"

"That's implying it existed in the first place." Remus leapt of the stool to dodge the smack James had sent him while Frank doubled over in laughter.

Remus experienced a little bubble of disbelief as he joined Frank and even James in laughter. Sometimes, he was honestly shocked he had managed to acquire such great friends. In his life, he should have expected poverty and humiliation. Although he had experienced more than his fair share of that, he was lucky enough to also experienced joy, love and much more hope than he felt he deserved. Moments like these were not something he could ever take for granted because he never expected to have them at all.

Soon enough, James and him stood outside the small club waiting for Frank to exit. It was just past midnight, and the air had a sharp bite to it. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Remus turned to ask James if they could stop somewhere for hot chocolate when Frank exited the club in tow with a young man, who looked about their age or a little younger.

"Here they are. Star, this is James and that's Remus," Frank said while pointing at the brunette. Frank gestured at the young man and said, "Mates, this is Star. He just got off, so I've invited him along. Is that okay?"

"Cors," James replied hesitatingly. He looked slightly uncomfortable but quickly shook Star's hand. Frank and him began to walk away from the club while Remus and Star followed behind.

"Fag?"

"What?" Remus sputtered and spun to face Star, who was dangling a cigarette towards him. For a moment, Remus felt conflicted, as he didn't truly smoke but wanted to appear friendly. He settled for shaking his head while giving a little laugh, that sounded vaguely hysterical even to his own ears.

If offended, Star hid it well. He simply shrugged and lit the cigarette himself before taking a long drag. Remus couldn't help but notice that the man was very attractive. He was of average height and quite pale, but he had long dark lashes that complimented his prominent cheekbones perfectly, with a straight nose and full, slightly chapped pink lips. Remus had never really understood why a man would like long hair, but on Star, the long wavy black hair framed his highly structured face, ivory skin and dark grey eyes beautifully. His eyes seemed to have the potential to be the most stunning part of him, but instead they were guarded and reminiscent of ashes.

Intending to distract himself, Remus smiled politely at the dancer and asked, "So, Star? That can't be your real name."

Star barked out a laugh, and said, "No. Gods, its such a shit fake name, I can't even imagine some poor bloke having it as his real name."

Remus smiled and held out his hand. "Remus Lupin, nice to meet you." Star shook his hand but looked confused.

"Sorry, but we were already introduced."

Blushing Remus gave another, unfortunately hysterical, laugh. "Yeah, I know. But you never said your real name and…I mean, you already know mine. It's only fair really."

"Oh." Star didn't say anything else, and Remus suddenly felt too uncomfortable to speak either. He didn't understand why the man wouldn't just say his real name. What would Remus do with that information anyways? His thoughts were interrupted when Star cleared his throat and bit out, "Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"Yeah." Taking a deep drag on his cigarette before crushing it to the pavement, he quietly said, "That's my name."

Remus smiled at him as they approached the building Frank's flat was in. "That's much better than Star."

Sirius gave a small smile as they began up the stairs to the flat. Remus thought he looked quite sweet with that almost shy smile, and his faded purple jumper, his shaggy hair a little windblown.

It may just be the nicest smile he's ever seen.

* * *

"I want you to fuck me." Remus stood panting as lips pressed to his again. He felt the mouth press hot, open kisses along his jaw before coming back up to his lips, "Remus. I want you to fuck me."

Unexpected felt like a complete understatement in relation to what was happening at the moment. Remus, when getting dressed to go visit Frank, had never imagined that he would be standing in a comprising in a bathroom with a stripper while Frank and James slept in the next room. If he felt any hesitation, it was only out of pure shock.

His friends didn't know he wasn't straight, and he wasn't ready for them to know. That was not an excuse however as they were in a drunken slumber. There was no chance of them walking in on this. No. What made him hesitate was that he was still unable to believe this was happening. An hour ago, he and Sirius had searched through Frank's record collection while the others proceeded to get miserably drunk.

He's not sure what happened to lead to him following Sirius into the bathroom, giggling like mad before pressing him against the sink and snogging him thoroughly. It didn't matter either as they were both now standing there in only their pants, bodies pressed so close together that Remus could feel the thumping of Sirius' heart.

Deciding that now was the time to be honest, Remus dropped to his knees and pulled down the raven-haired man's pants. At the look of surprise on Sirius' face, Remus raised his eyebrows and said, "There is no way I'm going to last long enough for that." He then gently engulfed the swollen head of the cock in front of him.

Sucking lightly, he began to fist the part of the cock that wasn't in his mouth. Remus felt fingers tighten in his hair and looked up to see dark, hungry eyes watching him intently. As he fit more of the cock into his mouth and sucked hard, Sirius cried out, and his eyes fluttered as he tried to keep them open.

Moving one hand to Sirius' hip, he began to bob his head up and down along the shaft while dragging his tongue along the underside. He used his other hand to cup Sirius' balls and causing a choked off moan. Reaching his hand further back, he lightly touched along the perineum before moving sliding his finger along the crack of Sirius' ass.

Sirius' breathing audibly picked up as Remus circled the pucker, and when he gently pressed, Sirius tugged at his hair.

"I…" The sounds coming out of his mouth made Remus groan in frustration. He was regretting deciding to not fuck Sirius now that he's heard the sounds Sirius makes just from getting his asshole touched. "Fuck, Remus. I'm close…"

Remus removed both his hands and let the cock out of his mouth with a light pop. Standing so that they are chest to chest, Remus leans in to suck along Sirius neck. He groans when he feels Sirius calloused hands take them both in hand and begin to move. As they thrust against each other, Remus moves to see Sirius' face and almost comes immediately.

His eyes are fluttering like mad and his perfect, full lips part as he pants and moans. His pale skin is flushed, his dark hair sticking to his face and there is a look of pure pleasure on his face that Remus wants to remember until the day he dies.

Feeling his release coming, Remus bites down on Sirius' shoulder causing the man to cry out and come over their hands and stomachs. The warmth of the come and the feel of Sirius pressed against him is too much, and Remus comes with an almost silent groan.

The bathroom lights flicker as they slowly recover, and begin to wipe themselves off. Smiling at each other, they dress and return to the living room where James and Frank still lie asleep.

"Uh, I should probably go." Sirius doesn't look at Remus when he says this but bends down to put on his shoes.

"Oh. All right." Remus tells himself he isn't disappointed. That it was just a one-off and not to be such a bloody girl about it. Except, that it was an exceptionally good time and he'll be damned if he never gets to make good on the opportunity to fuck Sirius. "That was fun. Maybe…?"

"It was…nice." Sirius looks distinctly uncomfortable and hides behind his hair as he does up his shoes. Sparing a glance at the still sleeping figures, Sirius whispers, "Look. I know because of what I do, it may seem like I do this stuff all the time. But I don't. So I'm not sure what you want-"

"I want to fuck you." Merlin, where had that come from? Remus cursed himself as Sirius' eyes bulged out of his face, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. Remus prides himself on being tactful and has no idea what prompted him to say something like that.

Sirius face slowly changes from one of shock to one of nervousness before settling on an indecipherable smirk. "Already missed your chance for that, I'm afraid."

Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, Sirius makes his way to the door. Before stepping through, he turns to Remus and opens his mouth as if to say something. Whatever he was going to say was lost as Remus pressed his mouth gently against his.

This kiss wasn't intense or hard like the ones before it, but long and sweet. If Remus was never going to do this again, he wanted to drown in the taste of those lips and feel them move against his one more time.

A moment later, Remus pulled away, and Sirius looking slightly dazed gave that small, shy smile again.

"Goodbye Remus."

Leaning against the door frame, Remus watched as Sirius disappeared down the stairs. Shaking his head, Remus closed the door and made his way to an empty couch. He decided that it was for the best that he probably wouldn't see Sirius again.

That last smile, although admittedly nice, was dangerous. It had caused a tug in his stomach that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he wasn't too keen to reacquaint himself with the feeling. Feelings like that tend to lead to places Remus just wasn't ready to go. And if Remus happened to find himself hanging around the club or asking Frank about Sirius, it was because of unresolved sexual tension. There was nothing else he wanted from the man.

It was just pure, sexual attraction.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Non-Con Warning**

* * *

_Little King,_

_It's been two months since you last wrote, and I was beginning to worry. Our mutual contact told me that you have a muggle girlfriend. If that's true, congratulations. I personally can't believe that you tricked some poor French girl into dating you. Not that she'll be dating you long, as you have an appalling lack in communication skills._

_Two months. You could have sent something. Anything. I would have been happy with a fucking Metro card. At least I would have known you were alive. Instead, I spend two months thinking this was all for nothing and that you've gone and got yourself killed, when in fact you've been living it up on the Continent. But I guess thanks for eventually sending me that lovely postcard. A little more than a Metro ticket, but I should feel honoured I suppose._

_Life here is the same, in case you were wondering. Mother is sick(more so than usual), and Kreacher can barely find it in himself to clean the toilets, he dotes on her so often. Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. She's survived this long, hasn't she?_

_Work is interesting. One of my co-workers is all right. His mates are okay too. They're nice. I think you'd like them. Especially one of them. He kept talking to me about muggle music for a long time. I didn't mind. He's a muggle. They all are. I think you'd like him._

_I hope that you're okay. I'm still furious with you and I want to hate you. I hope you're okay._

_Please respond._

_Snuffles_

* * *

Sirius ducks as a shoe goes flying past his head. He soon has to resort to using his wand to deflect the objects being hurled at him.

Walburga Black was said to have been a great beauty in her youth. She was slim, with thick dark hair. Her face, before the war, was smooth with delicate features that complimented the angular set of her face nicely. Now, as she sat in bed, her face was lined with age and red with exertion. Her skin was swallow and nothing in her posture was delicate as she continued to throw any object in reach towards her son.

"YOU VILE, LYING CREATURE! WHERE IS MY SON?"

"I told you, I don't know!" Sirius was trying to keep his rage in check. His mother had not been entirely sane in some time and her recent bout of illness was not helping matters. "Where ever he went, he's hiding-"

"KREACHER TOLD ME! HE TOLD ME WHAT HE SAW! HE SAW YOU, YOU MY OWN SON, WRITING A LETTER TO HIM BEHIND MY BACK!"

"I wasn't! He's in hiding! With Muggles! It's not like he can have owls delivering the post to him."

Walburga paused with her hand still clutching an inkwell and narrowed her eyes. "Explain what Kreacher saw."

"I was writing a letter to Regu-HEY! Let me finish, all right?" Sirius slowly began to back towards to the door as Walburga brought her arm back. "I don't send the letters to him. I just write them and pretend to. So I feel better."

Hoping that this would be enough, Sirius turned to the door and grasped the handle. He paused in the door when he heard an intake of breath.

"I sometimes do that too. It'll be good for when he comes back. He'll know he was missed."

"Yeah." Sirius couldn't bear to turn around as guilt flooded him and he escaped out of the room and down the stairs.

Another dancer was covering his shift tonight, so he collected some money from a jar in the kitchen and made his way outside, only stopping to grab his leather jacket.

He loved London. The crowded streets with their perpetual noise and relentless stream of cars, people and lights. He begun sneaking out when he was twelve and by the time he had his first job at a book store on Knockturn Alley, he knew the streets like he was born with the knowledge. There was nothing more exciting to him than the colourful and thriving crowds around him. He couldn't even tell witch from muggle out here. It was wonderful.

Deciding that he didn't want to go far tonight, Sirius walked into a deserted alley and apparated into the Leaky Cauldren. The bar was gleaming as Tom wiped glasses behind it, the stools lining it mostly full. He was only halfway towards the bar when he heard someone call his name.

Turning, he spotted Frank and James sitting in a booth in the corner. Surprised he quickly checked to see if Remus was nearby. Making his way over to them, Sirius was so preoccupied with wondering where Remus was that it took a moment to realise why it was odd to see them here in a wizard bar.

"You're wizards!"

James laughed and made room for him to sit down. "Obviously."

"But you had muggle music!"

Frank just shrugged. "Remus got me onto it. It's much better than anything our kind ever makes. Hmm, I'm going get us another round. You drinking?"

Sirius nodded and pulled out a small bag of money. He was disconcerted that he'd spent time with wizards. The only people he spent time with outside his house were all virtually muggles. Spending time in the wizarding world was safe as he was not likely to be recognised but giving his name to wizards was risky at best. Thank Merlin he only gave his first name to Remus.

He wasn't on the run or even in danger of being attacked, but most wizards have not yet forgiven the Blacks for their role in the war. Regulus had not helped matters with his foolish actions, but it was over now.

As the night carried on, Sirius found himself relaxing and enjoying the other men's company. Since he quit his job at the store, Sirius had experienced few nights like these. James and Frank bought round after round of drinks and soon Sirius was supporting James as they walked through Diagon Alley.

"Merlin's pants, do you know what I would do for ice cream right now?" James pushed off Sirius before draping an arm across Frank's shoulders. Drunkenly slurring, he whispered, "I would sell my broom."

"NO!" Sirius reached out as if to grab James and shouted, "YOU LOVE YOUR BROOM! Remember, remember how you said you take care of it every night? And you always make sure it's polished every night?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I do!"

"You can't sell your broom James! You clean it, every night. I sometimes don't even clean my teeth every night." James gasped and released Frank as Sirius nodded. "It's true! You love your broom more than I love my teeth. And I am not giving my teeth for ice cream! I'm not!"

"Don't! Don't give away your teeth. You have very nice teeth. All white and shiny."

Sirius beamed and flashed a crooked grin. "I'm an aristocrat!"

James gaped and shook his head wildly. "You're a cat?!"

"No! I'm. Hmm. I like dogs. I think I'm a dog person. Woof woof. I'm a dog. Woof." Sirius continued to bark while James roared with laughter and nearly fell over in delight when Sirius began to "chase his own tail."

"You look just like a dog! Frank! Doesn't he look like a dog? Frank?" James turned in a circle, his hair dishevelled and his glasses askew. "Where's Frank?!"

"He's right there." Sirius pointed to a curled up mass on the ground. "How will we get him home now? Oh! I know! Your broom!"

"Yes!" James threw up a fist of victory and fished his wand out of his pockets. He drops his wand a few times before dramatically thrusting his arm out and saying, "Accio broom."

Both men scream when a large crash erupts and a broom comes bursting out of the shop to the left of them, in an explosion of glass. Sirius only has a moment to realise this isn't going to end well before the broom connects with his face and all goes dark.

* * *

"Here, take this." Sirius dutifully lifted the glass to his lips and drained it. Immediately he groaned as the hang-over potion went into effect and his headache ebbed away. The woman who administered the potion bent down so that she was eye level from where he was sitting on a chair.

Probing green eyes met his as she gently touched the tender side of his head. Skillfully drawing her wand up, she waved it once with a muttered spell and Sirius felt the throbbing disappear.

Last night's activities had caused a loud enough commotion to bring Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron , out to investigate. Upon seeing two unconscious men on the ground and one drunkenly waving his wand at broom, he quickly flooed the girlfriend of the only one left standing.

Fortunately, she was able to make it there promptly and drag them all back to her flat before anyone called the authorities.

Leaning back, Sirius glanced around the kitchen and grunted, "Thanks."

"Right. So what happened last night? I would have asked then, but you lot were in no shape to answer." Sirius grimaced as he tried to recall the actions that led to him waking up in a strange flat with Frank Longbottom drooling on his shoulder. Thankfully, he was saved from answering by a much too cheery James strutting into the room.

"Ah, good morning. Lovely day, isn't it?" Lily looked torn between amusement and anger, before settling on something in between.

"Oh, it's just wonderful. Waking up early to brew potions for the three drunken idiots who invaded my flat. Thinking to myself, 'It doesn't even matter what idiotic story I'm sure to hear when they wake up. Because at least I get the pleasure of taking care of their sorry asses instead of doing other things. Like sleep, for instance.'" She dragged a chair out so that it screeched across the tile and gracefully fell into it. "So tell me, why was I called to Diagon Alley in the middle of the night. It's got to be quite a story. In fact, I'm sure it's just lovely."

Sparing a glance at Sirius, who was determinedly staring at the floor, James explained, "Me and Frank were at the pub, and we met Sirius up there. That's Sirius by the way." Lily nodded in acknowledgement and James continued, "We got a little drunk, er…I decided I wanted ice cream. I guess we forgot the time. Anyways, we were walking down Diagon and I think Frank passed out. Hmm, I'm not sure when he did. So then, um, I think we decided to fly back. But I didn't have my broom so I tried to summon it."

"You tried to summon your broom all the way from Diagon Alley?" Lily interrupted her face incredulous.

"Eh, yeah. But then, we must have been by a quidditch shop cos a broom burst out of the shop and there was glass everywhere." Throwing an apologetic glance at Sirius, he rubbed the back of his neck. "The broom kind of hit Sirius and he passed out. Next thing I knew Tom was there and you know the rest. Mostly bad luck really. If only we hadn't been by that quidditch shop."

"You weren't by a quidditch shop. You were by an apothecary. You can't summon merchandise out of a store. Someone must have left their broom there. I mean honestly, James, really? You know they have spells to prevent theft."

James blushed and rubbed the growing stubble on his chin. Sirius chanced a look at the clock above the stove and leapt up when he realised it was past noon.

"Shit! Oh fuck, sorry. I have to go." Barely sparing a glance at James Sirius tore through the flat until he reached the front door. As he ripped the door open, he called back, "Thanks Lily. I can make it up to you some other time, yeah?" He didn't wait for an answer as he tore down the stairs and out the building, trying to find a place to apparate as quickly as possible.

The club was empty as he entered through the back door and made his way to the office. Generally, every Sunday at noon Sirius would have a meeting with his the owner of the joint.

The owner of the strip club was a hulking and scarred man named Fenir Greyback. He was lounged in a seat behind a large desk, his forearms resting against the top.

Sirius tried to fight down his anxiety as he strode to the desk. He never missed their meetings and didn't know what to expect from the man. Greyback was known for his vicious temper and an unpredictable cruelty. Sirius desperately hoped that the calm demeanour being presented right now was not a facade. He prepared to sit but was stopped when Greyback raised his hand.

"You're late."

"Yes. I'm sorry, Sir. I-"

"You're late. I almost thought you weren't going to come."

"No, of course not."

Greyback eyed him carefully before gesturing that he should come over to the other side of the desk.

Swallowing loudly, Sirius ignored his sweaty palms and crossed to stand near Greyback.

"You made me wait."

Fear was beginning to blossom in Sirius' chest as he once again apologised, "I'm sorry."

Greyback cocked his head to the side and rasped, "Make it up to me."

Instinct was telling Sirius that whatever was about to happen was not going to be good. Pushing away the dread coiling in his stomach he asked, "How?"

Smiling widely, Greyback slowly unbuttoned his pants before lowering the zip.

If this was any other man, Sirius would have raged, would have torn the building apart in his anger. But he couldn't today. Not with this man.

This was new. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Then again, Sirius was one of the top workers and provided no reason for punishment. Disgust and hate coursed through Sirius as he realised there was no choice. The only thing he could do was raise his eyebrows in mock confusion.

It happened in a second. Claw like hands dug into his neck as he was pulled to the floor. Unable to resist the strong grip, Sirius was forced to his knees. Horrified, he stayed still as his head was drawn closer to the man sitting in the chair. Powerless, Sirius prayed it would end quickly.

* * *

The scent of freshly brewed coffee assaulted his senses as he stumbled through the streets. Relief flooded him as the coffee drowned out the other smell that had taken hostage his nose. He fell into the first empty seat he could find and leaned his face into shaky hands.

Although he could no longer smell Greyback's musk, his other senses were still all too aware of what had just happened. The taste of throw up was still fresh in his mouth, thankfully replacing any other taste. Even though, a few hours must have passed, he could still hear the animal-like grunting. The cafe was loud, but all Sirius could hear were the promised threats and disturbing sounds of pleasure.

Shaking slightly, he leans his head down on the table and hopes that no one will think to kick him out for a little bit.

"Sirius?" His head snaps up, and he finds himself looking into concerned brown eyes.

"Oh. Hello Remus." Gathering his hands together, Sirius squeezes his fingers roughly.

Remus smiles but falters while looking at Sirius. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Sirius can't find it in him to be more responsive. All he wants is to be left alone. And yet, he also finds that he does not want Remus to leave.

"Um. Well, I was just going to go for a walk in the park. Would you like to come?"

"A walk in the park?"

"Yes. There's a park just down the block. It's small but lovely." Remus didn't look very hopeful and after a silent moment stood to leave. "Well. It was nice seeing you."

Sirius watches as Remus leaves the cafe before rushing out after him. "Remus," he calls, "wait!"

A surprised expression crosses Remus' face as he stops in the sidewalk. "Decided you want to go the park after all?"

Sirius nods and walks alongside Remus as they continue to the park.

The park is small but charming, filled with scattered benches. Abandoning the assumed task of walking around the park, Sirius immediately sits down on one of the benches. After some hesitation Remus follows.

"Are you sure you're all right? You seem off." Remus is watching him with wide eyes. His eyes are kind, with an unfamiliar warmth.

"Can we just sit here?" Remus nods after a moment and settles against the back of the seat.

Soon Remus turns to him and moves to push back a stray lock of hair that has fallen into Sirius' eyes. Flinching back, Sirius unconsciously scoots further away on the bench. "Sorry. It's just…"

"No, it's all right." Looking at Remus from the side of his eye, Sirius takes a breath before moving closer until they're nearly touching.

Very slowly, Sirius leans until his head touches the other man's shoulder. He whispers, "I would like to be friends with you Remus. Just friends."

"Just friends?"

"Yeah, if you want to."

In response, Remus lets Sirius rest his head against him and doesn't say anything when he feels wetness spread along the collar of his shirt. He doesn't say anything as they watch families pass in huddles or when he feels slight trembling along the left side of his body. He doesn't say anything at all until he feels a cold hand take his, hidden in the safety of his pocket. Only then does squeeze the hand and quietly reply.

"I want to."


End file.
